One Man's Answer to Life's Questions

Hallie Melville

Tuesdays with Morrie

by Mitch Albom

Morrie Schwartz is a sociology professor at Brandeis University when he is diagnosed with amyotrophic lateral sclerosis (ALS) in the summer of 1994. For Morrie, ALS is like a lit candle: it melts your nerves and leaves your body a pile of wax" (9). Tuesdays with Morrie describes his final lesson to an old graduate student, Mitch Albom, who has lost touch with himself and his life's purpose. As his disease progresses, Morrie provides insight to Mitch about the purpose of life, love, and the importance of serving others. By giving his opinions on topics such as life, death, aging, family, forgiveness, greed, and fear, Morrie is offering one man's answers to life's most commonly asked questions.

There are so many beautiful sentences in this book that hold important meaning. Something that Morrie said that really stuck out to me was "dying is only one thing to be sad over. Living unhappily is something else" (8). My interpretation of this is that you shouldn't let fear restrict you from being yourself or having new experiences because these are the things that will make you happy. Another quote that I found inspiring was, "So many people walk around with a meaningless life. They seem half-asleep, even when they're busy doing things they think are important. This is because they're chasing the wrong things" (43). This reminds me to focus on things like relationships with friends and family and being grateful for what I have, rather than focusing on material things.

Albom's writing style is interesting because he manages to add humor to depressing situations in an appropriate way. He takes a meaningful and personal story, transforming it into a beautiful work of literature that one can sympathize with. Tuesdays with Morrie his book is an extremely moving tear-jerker, inspirational to say the least. It has important lessons that will teach you to live life without fear, meant for someone looking to have their eyes opened.